This invention relates to a panel module for use with suspended ceilings having spaced apart grid members defining panel receiving areas and, more particularly, to such panel modules which are or can be provided with indicia for advertising or the like and which can be removably substituted for any one of the ceiling panels normally removably supported by the grid members.
Suspended ceilings formed of spaced apart grid members which removably support ceiling panels and/or lighting fixtures disposed in cooperative working relationship with predetermined ones of the ceiling panels presently are well known and used extensively, particularly in supermarkets, retail stores and the like. The material from which the ceiling panels are fabricated and the grid members have, in the past, been utilized to support various types of advertising materials which are affixed to the ceiling panels and/or the grid members. The advertising material normally is suspended by means of string or wire, or supported to hang some distance below the ceiling, by means of, for example, string, wire or the like. While such methods of displaying advertising are widely used and accepted, it often detracts from the decor of the store and, in extreme cases, presents a rather cluttered appearance.
The panel module of the present invention, in its broadest aspect, can be utilized in combination with a suspended ceiling as a ceiling panel to provide a decorative or ornate ceiling appearance. However, the panel module is particularly unique in its application as an advertising display panel module for use with such suspended ceilings, in that it provides a plurality of side walls and/or surface areas upon which advertising indicia can be placed. The advertising display panel module can be removably substituted for any one of the ceiling panels, so that they may be strategically substituted for the ceiling panels at any location within the ceiling. More particularly still, the advertising display panel modules can be utilized in combination with the lighting fixtures normally provided in such suspended ceilings or, alternatively, can themselves be provided with lighting means, so that a lighted advertising display panel module is provided.
In accordance with the present invention, the panel module comprises a hollow enclosure formed by a plurality of walls, at least some of which depend downwardly with respect to the suspended ceiling and provides surfaces for receiving thereon advertising indicia or the like. The panel modules are supported by the grid members which normally support the ceiling panels and define the respective ones of the panel receiving areas, and are co-extensive in area with the respective ones of the panel receiving areas. One or more of the panel modules therefore can be removably disposed in conjunction with or in substitution for any one of the ceiling panels to provide readily visible advertising, at any desired location. The hollow enclosure formed by the plurality of walls can assume any one of a number of different shapes, and can therefore provide various different surfaces for receiving the indicia.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved panel module for use with suspended ceilings and, in particular, an advertising display panel module for use with suspended ceilings.